Sewing-machine for lasting boots or shoes



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-#Sheet 1V.

T.l K. KEITH. SEWING MACHINE POR LASTING BOOTS OR SHOES.

N0.585,675 l Patented'July 6, 1897.4

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet2.

T. K. KEITH. vSEWING MACHINE PoR LASTING BOOTS 0R SHOES..

No. 585,675.` Patented July 6, 1897,.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEioE.

THOMAS K. KEITH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO THE KEITH LASTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF KITTERY, MAINE.

SEWING-MACHINE FOR LASTING BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 585,675, dated July 6, 1897. Application filed June 8,1896. Serial No. 594,768. (No model.)`

.l'o @ZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS K. KEITH, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Sewing-Machines for Lasting Boots or Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and igures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a sewing-machine for lasting boots and shoes.

In myimproved machine the upper is drawn and stretched about the last by the action against it of a rotatable roller, the free edge of the stretched upper being laid over upon the inner sole on the bottom of the last, the edge of the said upper being secured to a portion of the top side of the inner sole on the last by stitches which pass into and then out from the saine side of the inner sole and into the edge of the upper, then bent more or less over on the said sole, the drawing of the stitch, in conjunction with the action of the said roller, tending to effect the close fitting of the upper to the body of the last, the action of the thread in setting the stitch taking up any slack in the upper made by the roller or rubbing-surface. In this embodiment of my invention I have combined with the sewingmachine a positively-rotated roller, which is mounted on a short shaft vat or near the end of a carriage, which is held normally outwardly toward the operator and the work by a suitable spring, the said shaft having a gear which is engaged by a gear on an intermediate shaft feather-keyed to a gear which is supported independently of the said carriage and driven positively from, preferably,.

The machine herein shown has a gageto` act on the inner sole and a stationary presserfoot to act on the edge of the upper lying on the sole at and about the point where the needle emerges from the upper and a feeding device to enter the upper and sole to feed the same preparatory for each stitch.

Figure l represents a front elevation of a sufficient portion of a sewingmachine for lasting boots and shoes to enable my invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is a section to the right of the line o0, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section to the left of the line Figli is .a partial section below the line co3, Fig. 2, suihcient to illustrate the lasting apparatus. Fig. 5 is a detail showing part of the take-up and the spring for actuating it. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail explanatory of the operation of the inachine, and Fig. 7 is a section ofthe wheel f and its support.

The bed-plate A 4has suitable columns A/ to support the main shaftA. This bed-plate is in practice mounted upon a suitable column or legs. (Not shown.) The main shaft, driven by power in any usual manner customary to sewing-machines, has upon it a cam B, provided at its inner face with a groove Z9, (shown in Fig. 2,) in which enters a roller or other stud of a radius-bar B', pivoted on a hollow stud B2 in a bearing 132x, the stud being held by a nut BSX. This radius-bar has connected to it a link B3, which is joined to an arm B4, secured by a suitable set-screWB5 to a hollow shaft b', extended through the stand O, and having at its opposite end the needle-carrier O', the said needle-carrier having confined to it in usual manner by a suitable block and nut ahooked needle C2. The

lneedle has cooperating with it a needle-sup port D, the said needle-support being connected to one end of a rod dx, which is extended through the hollow shaft I2', the outer end of the said rod having connected to it by a pin d an arm d', the said arm being acted upon by a spiral spring cl2, connected thereto and to the arm B4, the tendency of the said spring being to normally keep the arm d against a stud d12 and turn the needle-support in a'direction to keep it near the hook of the needle, but permitting said support to stop when coming in contact with the Work rial, as in Fig. 5.

The needle-thread t, taken from any snitable source, is herein shown as led through a guide t and thence carried about a suitable tension device t2, the freedom of rotation of which maybe more or less restrained in usual manner, to thereby produce tension upon the thread. From this tension device the needlethread (see Fig. 2) is passed to a take-up device t3, composed of a lever mounted at t4 and provided with a roller or other stud t5, vwhich is operated upon by a cam t6, the upper end of the take-up having a suitable roller or other stud about which the thread is passed.

The thread from the take-up goes through a suitable guide t?, and thence through a thread-guide t8, herein shown as a tube carried by a lev'er S, mounted on a pivot .5, and having at its upper end a suitable roller or other stud, which enters a cam-groove in a hub S fast on the main shaft. The pivot s', upon which the lever s is mounted, is supported in a rocking fork SX, and the 'lever has a roller-stud s60, which rests on a cam S61, so that said lever s is vibrated and rocked in order that the thread-guide may have given to it an elliptical or circular motion about the end of the needle when supplying the hook of the latter with thread. A spring s, connected at one end to an arm S10 of the block SX, on which the thread-guide-carrying lever is pivoted, acts to keep the roll at the upper end of the take-up in its actuating-groove, and a spring t9, connected at one end to the take-up (see Fig. 2) and at its other end to a hook attached to a rigid part A2 of the framework, acts to move the said take-up in opposition to the cam t6.

E represents a stationary presser-foot connected to the bed-plate by bolts e, it resting on the work close to the point where the needle, after passing through the sole, emergesl from the upper to be supplied with thread by the thread-guide.

A gage II, adjustably connected tothe stand C, bears on the sole just inside -the edge of the upper and forms a gage to position the bottom of the sole vertically with relation to the path of the needle.

The feed of the shoe is effected by an arm w, having a point tu to enter the work, the said arm being fast on the inner endr ofv a shaft to2, extended through the hollow stud B2, said shaft having at its outer end a second arm w3, the upper end of which rests in a slot in the front end ofl the feed-lever wf, pivotally mounted on a stud 107 and provided with a roller or other stud w, which enters a cam-groove wg in a cam-hub W fast on the main shaft. The feed-point is controlled to enter and then retire from the Work by a fork r, attached to a lever r', pivoted at r2, the inner end of said lever being acted upon by a roll or projection e2, (see Fig. 2,) mounted on the left-hand side of the take-up camt. The

descent of the feed in entering the work is controlled by an adjusting device (shown in Figs. I and 2 as a screw u) and a spring fu', connected to the lever keeps its near end elevated to be acted upon by the roll e2.

To fit the upper closely to the last, I have provided a rotatable roller or wheel f, which acts on the upper lying against the side of the last at a point near the bottom of the last, the said roll being revolved from a rotating shaft of the machine. The rotatable roller is fast on a short hollow shaft fx, having at one end a bevel-gear f', the shaft surrounding a bolt f2, the inner end of which is shown as screwed into the upturned end of a carriage lf3, fitted to slide longitudinally in a suitable guideway, herein shown as composed of two like gibs 2, undercut at their edges, a tension-spring f4, connected at its rear end to the said carriage and at its front end tol a fixed part, as r4, of the machine, normally acting yto draw the carriage to the front, of the machine, the said roll normally standing with its acting edge substantially in line with the front end of the presser-foot. The hollow shaft fx is threaded externally,y and the roller internally, and is screwed on the shaft and held there by a suitable nut I0. (See section Fig. 7..)

The bevel-gear f is engaged by a bevelgear f4X on an intermediate shaft f 5, mounted to rotate in a stand 3 of the carriage and fixed auxiliary stands 4 and 4X, the said shaft having feather-keyed to it a bevel-gear f6, which is prevented from sliding by the stands Ltand 4X. The bevel-gear f6 rotates the shaft f5, but the shaft can be slid in the said gear as the carriage is moved backward and forward to enable the roller f to follow the contour of the upper on the last, aswill be described. The gearj1G derives its motion from, as herein shown, the main shaft A2 and is driven positively therefrom.

I have herein shown the driving-gear as composed of a short shaft g, mounted in bearings 4, fixed to the plate A, the said shaft having a sprocket-Wheel or chaingear g2, which is driven by a sprocket or other chain g3, extended over a sprocket or chain Wheel g4, fast on the shaft A2. When the shaft A2 is rotated., the wheel f is also rotated` positively.

Thisinvention is not limited to the exact construction shown for the positive drivinggearing between the main shaft and the gear f6, and instead I may use any suitable or usual mechanical equivalents.

The carriage has at one edge a series ofv teeth 7, which are engaged by a suitable locking device h, pivoted at h and acted upon by a spring 7a2, the locking device being permitted to engage the teeth of and lock theL carriage firmly in place just about as the needle is to enter the sole, the carriage being held locked until after the needleV on its return stroke draws the thread .through the upper and inner sole, after which a projection S18 of IOO IIO

the cam-hub S acts on the locking device and releases the same from the said teeth, enabling the spring f4 to move the carriage and roll forward to follow and keep close against the upper, the said roll following the contour of the last and by its continued rotation straining the upper about the last. The roller acts against the upper a little in advance of the stitching mechanism, and therefore has opportunity to stretch the upper as the `shoe is being moved for a new stitch. The roller f has cooperating with it a clearer composed of a spring y"13 and a piece of felt fw, which acts upon and keeps the surface of the roll clean, said spring j13 being connected to the `front end of the carriage.

To last a shoe by my improved machine, the operator will preferably apply the inner sole to the bottom of the last and'then put the upper on the last and with suitable pincers draw the upper over the toe and heel ends of the inner sole snugly and fasten the same thereto by suitable tacks or nails, and then, holding the shoe in his hand, will put the upper against the roller f, which is then being rotated, and will push the upper against the roller, the latter acting tolstretch the upper about the last, toward the bottom thereof, and as the upper is being so stretched the edges of the upper extended above the last and inner sole will, by the action of the presser-foot, be laid over on the inner sole and held there at and about the point where the needle, after passing into and out from the same side of the sole, enters the upper, the position of the exposed side of the inner sole being determined by the gage H, which will preferably run in the channel. In this operation the rotating roller is kept constantly in action on the upper to stretch and draw it up toward the edge of the inner sole, and the presser-foot holds the upper in advance of the action of the needle. The foot acts on and lays the edge of the upper down on the inner sole opposite to where it is to be entered by the needle. After the hook of the needle has emerged from the upper and has been provided with thread by the threadguide t8 said needle is retracted and draws the thread into the upper and back through the sole, and as the stitch is set the thread draws on the upper and subjects the latter to suoli strain as to draw the upper, it being acted upon at the side of the last by therotation of the roller over and about the edge of the inner sole on the last where the said edge is secured by the stitches. Preferably I shall make a slight channel in the inner sole, as shown in the drawings.

The roller f may have a smooth surface, or it may be slightly roughened or be covered with a friction medium; but I am enabled to do good work with a smooth metallic surface on the roll.

The roller f' constitutes a moving, rubbing, and stretching device which acts continuously on the upper lying against the side of the last during the operation of the machine and stretches `and fits the upper to the top of the last, so that the stitches made in the edge of the upper above the inner sole may act to take up any slack in the upper and retain it fitted to the last.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

l. In a sewing-machine for lasting shoes, stitch-formin g mechanism, a gage for the bottom of the sole to position the shoe at the proper level for the action of the needle, a sliding carriage, a roller mounted thereon and having an attached bevel-gear, and a shaft having a bevel-gear in engagement with the bevel-gear ofthe roller, a gear feather-keyed to said shaft, a second shaft having a gear engaging and driving said feather-keyed gear, bearings for said shaft and means to rotate the latter shaft whereby the roller mounted on the carriage is driven positively while the carriage is being slid backward and forward, substantially as described.

2. In a sewing-machine for lasting shoes, stitch-forming mechanism, a gage forthe bottom of the sole to position the shoe at the proper level for the action of the needle, a presser-foot, a slidin g carriage, a roller mounted thereon and having an attached bevel-gear, and a shaft having a bevel-gear in engagement with the bevel-gear of the roller, a gear feather-keyed to said shaft, a second shaft in fixed bearings and having a gear engaging and driving said feather-keyed gear, and means to rotate the latter shaft whereby the roller mounted on the carriage is driven positively while the carriage is being slid backward and forward, substantially as described.

3. In a sewing-machine for lasting shoes, stitch-formin g mechanism, a gage for the bottom of the sole to position the shoe at the proper level for the action of the needle, a sliding carriage, a roller mounted thereon and havingan attached bevelgear, and a shaft having a bevel-gear in engagement with the bevel-gear of the roller, a gear featherkeyed to said shaft, a second shaft in fixed bearings and having a gear engaging and driving said feather-keyed gear, and means to rotate the latter shaft whereby the roller mounted on the carriage is driven positively while the carriage is being slid backward and f'orward, and a locking device to engage and hold the said carriage in its backward position while the needle is in the work, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS K. KEITH.

Vitnesses:

Guo. W. GREGORY, MARGARET A. DUNN.

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